CONCORD, N.C. _ The day started off with a battle between Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi in the Indianapolis 500 and at the end of the night at the Charlotte Motor Speedway it came down to a battle of Penske versus Ganassi to settle the 51st running of the Coca-Cola 600. Dario Franchitti may have been able to get the job done for Ganassi in Indy, but Kurt Busch was not going to let his Penske car be beaten by a Ganassi owned ride.

For much of the race Busch was the car to beat, leading 12 times for a total of 252 laps. The win, however, was not easy as he had to hold off Jamie McMurray to redeem team owner Roger Penske’s earlier disappointment and not allow two Ganassi victories in one day.

CONCORD, N.C. _ The day started off with a battle between Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi in the Indianapolis 500 and at the end of the night at the Charlotte Motor Speedway it came down to a battle of Penske versus Ganassi to settle the 51st running of the Coca-Cola 600. Dario Franchitti may have been able to get the job done for Ganassi in Indy, but Kurt Busch was not going to let his Penske car be beaten by a Ganassi owned ride.

For much of the race Busch was the car to beat, leading 12 times for a total of 252 laps. The win, however, was not easy as he had to hold off Jamie McMurray to redeem team owner Roger Penske’s earlier disappointment and not allow two Ganassi victories in one day.

The battle for the victory came down to one final pit stop with just over twenty laps to go. McMurray led the field down for service, but it was Busch’s Steve Addington-led pit crew that was able to get them out ahead of the No. 1 car. To make matters worse for McMurray he left pit road third behind Busch and Matt Kenseth. With Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and pole-sitter Ryan Newman staying out, Busch restarted fourth with McMurray behind him on the outside line in sixth.

When the race restarted with 19 laps to go, it did not take the two long to find their way back out front. Making quick work of Gordon, Martin and Newman, the two were determined to settle it out amongst themselves. Once out front, Busch was able to open up a one second lead on McMurray. In two evenly matched cars, the two ran similar lap times over the next 19 circuits as Busch drove to his second victory of the year. This win also came one week after the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge took the checkered flag in the Sprint All-Star Race.

“This has been a dream come true, to be able to wrap up this special weekend, to put a bow on it with this Coca Cola 600 win,” Busch said. “It’s a prestigious race, a tough race, and most of all it’s a team race.”

Throughout the race, Busch’s car was strongest on the shorter runs, with McMurray coming to life after about 20 laps. However, using what he learned to win the All-Star Race, Busch was able to hammer down over the final 19 laps and take home the trophy in the process.

“With the caution coming out with 25 or so, my crew put me out in front,” Busch said. “I told them to loosen me up. I thought we would do it in 20. If we had a 50 lap run in the end, [McMurray] might have had the stronger car.

“I think what we saw last week with our power on the short run to win that All Star Race, we would have been foolish to do anything different except leave that setup in and work around it,” Busch said.

The strong performance for McMurray was not enough to give team owner Chip Ganassi the Memorial Day sweep, but it did move the Daytona 500 champion to within 26 marks of 12th in the point standings. While he was close to giving Ganassi the unprecedented Indy-Charlotte sweep, McMurray explained there was no added pressure; in fact it was not even a thought.

“Honestly, I didn’t think much about winning today because of Chip winning the [Indy] 500,” McMurray said. “He did come on my radio about halfway through when he showed up and tried to talk because he didn’t know he was talking to me. I yelled. I didn’t know who it was. Then they told me under caution that that was Chip. That was kind of funny. That was a good moment to have with him.”

For Busch, however, he knew it was a Ganassi car behind putting the pressure on for the win.

“Roger [Penske] is an amazing individual,” Busch said. “I’m happy to race for him and bring him home wins, especially on a day like today when he didn’t get it at Indy and we beat a Ganassi car today to win it. That’s something special… To beat a Ganassi car, McMurray, those guys kept us honest, he was in the mix. If I could say anything, I would say Ganassi should give that guy a raise and pay that man.”

I’m sure McMurray agrees.

JIMMIE SCREWS UP, TAKES HAMLIN WITH HIM

For years, Charlotte Motor Speedway was Jimmie Johnson’s house. In a span of six races from 2003 to 2005, Johnson won five races, four of them in a row. Sunday, it appeared Johnson would once again be a major factor in the outcome of the race leading twice for a total of 36 laps – that is until a loose race car got the best of the four-time champion.

Following a round of green flag pit stops 150 laps into the event, the rear tire changer pulled a spring rubber out of the left rear to free the car up. The adjustment worked, but worked a little too well. Johnson had his hands full over the next few laps and eventually lost the back of the car coming off Turn 4 on Lap 168. The No. 48 smacked the outside wall and shot back down the track.

Running behind him, Denny Hamlin was forced to drive through the frontstretch grass with his left side tires. Bouncing through the grass and back onto the track Hamlin damaged the splitter brace and was forced to come back down pit road. The damage ruined the handling of the No. 11 car and he was never able to recover.

For Johnson, however, the night was not over. With some damage to the left rear, the team was able to make repairs and send the No. 48 back out on the lead lap. That is until the car broke loose coming off the second corner on Lap 274. Running all by himself, Johnson slid the car down the track and made head-on contact with the inside wall.

Refusing to give in, the No. 48 team made repairs and had Johnson back on track by Lap 306. He would not make up any ground and ended the day in 37th.

KYLE BUSCH OVERCOMES SETBACK YET AGAIN

Under the caution for the Johnson-Hamlin incident on Lap 168, Kyle Busch led the field to pit road but did not lead them off. As he was exiting his stall, Busch nearly collided with the No. 43 of AJ Allmendinger, but was able to keep driving without incident, well kind of. After avoiding a near collision, Busch drove right into the door of Brad Keselowski who was making his way to the crew for service.

That heavy contact knocked the tow out of Busch’s car and forced the team to go from leading the race to working double-time to make repairs. In a series of about two laps, three of the top-running cars were taken out of contention, all while Busch and defending race-winner David Reutimann continued to run up front.

Whether it was the ‘new’ Kyle Busch, his confidence in crew chief Dave Rogers, his focus on the bigger championship picture or a combination of each, Busch was able to keep his composure and overcome the deficit to finish a strong third. In doing so, the 25-year-old moved within 29 marks of Kevin Harvick in the series standings.

“I mean, these are the nights that championships are made of,” Busch said. “We’ve protected ourselves tonight, got back up through there, got a good, solid third place finish out of it I’m happy about it.”

BURTON NOT HAPPY WITH ROWDY’S RACING

While Kyle Busch was happy with his results at the end of the night, Jeff Burton was not happy about how he got there. On the final restart, Busch was in the middle of a three-wide situation with Burton to his outside. As the field went through the second dog-leg on the frontstretch, Busch’s splitter made contact with the left rear tire of Burton’s No. 31. The tire went flat and Burton had to move high as the field sped through the first and second turn below him. He was able to get the car to pit road, but finished the night 25th, one lap down.

Following the race, Burton pulled his car beside Busch’s on pit road and, in an uncharacteristic fashion, got in Busch’s face. Clearly upset with his late-race move, the veteran let him have as the crews looked on.

“He said I didn’t race him very nicely,” Busch said as Burton walked the other direction. “He said I ran into him, and I don’t know what I could have done to have made that work without touching him. His teammate, the 33 (Clint Bowyer) made me three wide getting into [Turn] 1. I held it as tight as I could to the 33 trying to stay off the 31. I guess all that nice respect stuff [Burton] talked about earlier this week is out the window.”

“Well, Kyle made it three-wide there on the restart trying to make something happen. I can’t blame him for that,” Burton said. “The least he could do is stay off of me. He cut the left rear tire. I like racing with Kyle, I really do, I enjoy it. But when he gets overaggressive and I pay the price for it I am just not going to tolerate it. I am just not going to put up with it.”

Once he collected his thoughts and settled down, the more practical-thinking Burton returned.

“First he said he didn’t hit me. Then he said he got put there, then he said he had to go. He didn’t mean to do it, ok,” Burton said. “He was trying to defend himself and what he was saying wasn’t making sense. That’s ok, he was upset because I was yelling at him. He didn’t mean to do it, but he’s real aggressive and I don’t mind that but like I said when it affects me, then I have a problem.”

CONWAY TOUGHS IT OUT

This year’s Raybestos Rookie of the Year race is not a very compelling one. There were two drivers at the beginning of the year vying for the title, Kevin Conway and Terry Cook. After Cook and his team parted ways, that left Conway with no competition. Driving the Extenze sponsored car has drawn its fair share of jokes throughout the garage and his lackluster performances have done little to help.

Yet, during Sunday’s 600-mile endurance race, Conway showed his toughness and commitment to the sport. By Lap 150 of 400, Conway told his crew he had become ill in the car and was suffering from bad cramps. Start-and-park driver Michael McDowell had already parked his No. 55 for the day and was brought in as Conway’s relief driver. Despite throwing up inside his helmet multiple times and dealing with cramps, Conway stuck it out and completed the event without McDowell’s help.

“He toughed it out,” said crew chief Peter Sospenzo. “I’m surprised he made it really, being the longest race of the race of the year plus being sick and all that. He did a good job, he really did. He wasn’t feeling too good after a sinus infection last week but seemed like he was getting over it. I don’t know if he ate something or whatever.”

CHARLOTTE_ Perhaps the highlight of last weekend’s Sprint All-Star Race was when Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin had a disagreement about a piece of real estate coming off Turn 2. With ten laps to go in the final segment, Busch got a run through the corner and looked to make a move on the outside of his teammate for the lead. Hamlin shut the door, forcing Busch to check up and he caught the wall. The incident killed their momentum and allowed Kurt Busch to make the winning pass.

Clearly upset with the way his teammate raced him, Busch vowed to “kill” Hamlin over the radio, parked his wrecked race car behind Hamlin’s hauler and stormed inside to await the confrontation. After meeting with each other for over 20 minutes under the supervision of team owner Joe Gibbs, the two emerged promising the incident was behind them.

Judging by their comments Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, this incident is all but behind them.

CHARLOTTE_ Perhaps the highlight of last weekend’s Sprint All-Star Race was when Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin had a disagreement about a piece of real estate coming off Turn 2. With ten laps to go in the final segment, Busch got a run through the corner and looked to make a move on the outside of his teammate for the lead. Hamlin shut the door, forcing Busch to check up and he caught the wall. The incident killed their momentum and allowed Kurt Busch to make the winning pass.

Clearly upset with the way his teammate raced him, Busch vowed to “kill” Hamlin over the radio, parked his wrecked race car behind Hamlin’s hauler and stormed inside to await the confrontation. After meeting with each other for over 20 minutes under the supervision of team owner Joe Gibbs, the two emerged promising the incident was behind them.

Judging by their comments Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, this incident is all but behind them.

The overall feeling emerging from Busch’s comments seemed to indicate he was mainly surprised at how Hamlin raced him that night. He figured teammates were teammates regardless of the situation, Hamlin on the other hand did not agree.

“Apparently it was the All-Star Race and it kind of surprised me the way my teammate wanted to race me,” Busch said. “Of course, I was heated after the incident. It surprised me and I wouldn’t have expected my teammate to have raced me that way, but he’s the leader, he’s got the race track and I now understand that.”

“I definitely wouldn’t change anything that I would do – and nobody in my position would. I challenge anyone to be in that position and change the way I drove,” Hamlin said. “He was never there, there was never a hole for him to fit in. He has a gas pedal and a brake just like I do. He could choose to check up and pass me in the next corner or put his car in the fence like what happened.”

For Busch, his hopes were to squash the incident as soon as possible, while Hamlin sees this as the continuation of a trend specific to Kyle Busch.

“I went straight to the hauler to handle it instead of letting things stew and get worse,” Busch said. “I wanted to get it done and get it over with right there and move forward. I feel like that’s what we did. His reception was, it’s the All-Star Race, it’s every man for himself and I wasn’t under that impression going into the race. That’s why I was surprised at the fact of what happened. We can all talk about what happened in the past, but you get stuck on that and you can’t build the future.”

“Kyle springs this stuff upon himself and gets mad at the media for asking him questions about his blow ups and stuff,” Hamlin said. “He does it to himself. I don’t want to be a part of it. Any drama he wants to create is on him. Anything he says on the radio, it’s on him. All I’m going to say – and then I’m going to be done with it – is each year I think Kyle is going to grow out of it and he just doesn’t. Until he puts it all together that’s when he’ll become a champion. Right now he just doesn’t have himself all together.”

That, however, was not the last Hamlin had to say on the topic. Hamlin’s bluntness and confidence set the tone for a very different relationship between the JGR teammates moving forward.

Talking about his leadership role with JGR, Hamlin said when Tony Stewart left the organization he knew it was up to him to step up and become the lead driver with the team. “I didn’t say that I was going to take over this team or be the leader of this team, but somebody’s got to be the leader – it ain’t going to be Kyle,” Hamlin said with a smile.

Hamlin continued to essentially throw his teammate under the bus throughout his media availability. When asked what he did wrong, Hamlin seemed perplexed by Busch’s explanation of why he was so mad.

“Through talking to him, he just felt like I took his line away. His line, the guy behind me. I’m sorry,” Hamlin said with a skeptical look on his face. He went on to say, “…anybody would say, ‘No, you’re not teammates (with 10 laps to go in the All-Star Race). You’re not racing for points. You don’t want to wreck each other.’ But I didn’t wreck him. He just didn’t let up when he probably should have.”

The stark difference between the comments and the demeanor of the two teammates showed while they contend they are committed to moving past this, neither will race each other the same moving forward – at least for the time being. Busch seemed perturbed by the fact Hamlin changed the way he typically races him, while Hamlin seemed to take issue with the fact Busch expected him to just move over. These two will eventually get over this and emerge stronger on the other side, but right now things are tense for sure over at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Somewhere Nicolas Cage’s character in Leaving Las Vegas is saying, “You’re really going to do this.”

All-star games suck. They’re rarely competitive. They’re often full of lame cross-promotional stunts sure to go wrong. I don’t care if the Puma mascot is here. I just want to watch my favorite starts of women’s professional soccer.

What I do care about is not going back on my word. In February, I wrote the following:

This season, I’m going to wager $50 of fake money (I’m married, like I have disposable income) on each race.

The All-Star race is a race. Plus, I’m down a fake $300 after Kyle Busch’s Dover win. So, in honor of great all-star performances from the likes of Tommy Lasorda, here are my picks for Saturday night in Charlotte.

Somewhere Nicolas Cage’s character in Leaving Las Vegas is saying, “You’re really going to do this.”

All-star games suck. They’re rarely competitive. They’re often full of lame cross-promotional stunts sure to go wrong. I don’t care if the Puma mascot is here. I just want to watch my favorite starts of women’s professional soccer.

What I do care about is not going back on my word. In February, I wrote the following:

This season, I’m going to wager $50 of fake money (I’m married, like I have disposable income) on each race.

The All-Star race is a race. Plus, I’m down a fake $300 after Kyle Busch’s Dover win. So, in honor of great all-star performances from the likes of Tommy Lasorda, here are my picks for Saturday night in Charlotte.

$30 on Jimmie Johnson at 9/2: Johnson has won this event twice and has the highest average finish. He’s won three Sprint Cup race at Charlotte in the last five years and owns the highest average finish in that time. Lowe’s is his sponsor, and they used to have naming rights to Charlotte Motor Speedway. Plus, big names win these kind of events. Random dude from the Clippers doesn’t outdap LeBron or Wade (Editor’s note: The defense in these highlights sets basketball back 25 years. If you can give an “A” for effort, you can an “F———.“

$10 on Kasey Kahne at 15/1: Dude owns this track. In the last five years, Kahne has three wins. None of them have come in this race, but that can change. This almost feels like a Vegas is trying to draw me in with a sucker bet. Consider me hooked. Enjoy make fake discretionary income while I have a sardine for dinner.

$10 on Joey Logano at 25/1: Logano has finished in the top 10 in both of his Charlotte starts. The fans voted Logano into this race last year. Plus it would make Justin Bieber happy. And yes, this song will drive you more insane than fake betting on an all-star event.

I really did it. Enjoy the odds from the good folks (I’ve never met them) at the The Spread, and insert random catchphrase here.

]]>http://www.allleftturns.com/all-star-race-odds/feed/2CAN YOU FIND ME NOW? VIDEOhttp://www.allleftturns.com/can-you-find-me-now-video/
http://www.allleftturns.com/can-you-find-me-now-video/#commentsSat, 20 Jun 2009 01:56:47 +0000As race-day promotions go, this looks like a fun one. Verizon Wireless unleashed hundreds of Can-You-Hear-Me-Now-Guy clones on Lowe's Motor Speedway and challenged fans to find the real Can-You-Hear-Me-Now-Guy, who is played by the actor Paul Marcarelli. It's like Where's Waldo?, only Waldo is a popular corporate personification. It appears that fun was had by all.

]]>As race-day promotions go, this looks like a fun one. Verizon Wireless unleashed hundreds of Can-You-Hear-Me-Now-Guy clones on Lowe’s Motor Speedway and challenged fans to find the real Can-You-Hear-Me-Now-Guy, who is played by the actor Paul Marcarelli. It’s like Where’s Waldo?, only Waldo is a popular corporate personification. It appears that fun was had by all.

]]>http://www.allleftturns.com/can-you-find-me-now-video/feed/1TONY STEWART HAS A CLONEhttp://www.allleftturns.com/tony-stewart-has-clone/
http://www.allleftturns.com/tony-stewart-has-clone/#commentsThu, 21 May 2009 08:23:32 +0000Chris M.On the heels of his All-star win last weekend, Tony Stewart is being praised for his dexterity in balancing both his owner responsibilities and driver duties. People are talking about how he has created the winning model for how one man can manage two different roles. I offer another theory about his success: There are two Tony Stewarts. I don't mean that Tony Stewart is a driver and an owner. I mean there are TWO Tonys.

5 reasons that prove Tony Stewart is actually two people:

1. Change in personality is a clear sign of body double

People say Tony Stewart can control his anger now and is no longer prone to slapping notebooks out of reporters’ hands. People say that Stewart has matured in the last several years and that he has better control of his temper. I think this “person” is a clone posing as Tony Stewart. It's like in Freaky Friday when the two sisters switch places, but the parents know something is up because the girls act so differently. To further prove my point, I think the happy Tony Stewart clone is taller.

]]>On the heels of his All-star win last weekend, Tony Stewart is being praised for his dexterity in balancing both his owner responsibilities and driver duties. People are talking about how he has created the winning model for how one man can manage two different roles. I offer another theory about his success: There are two Tony Stewarts. I don’t mean that Tony Stewart is a driver and an owner. I mean there are TWO Tonys.

5 reasons that prove Tony Stewart is actually two people:

1. Change in personality is a clear sign of body double

People say Tony Stewart can control his anger now and is no longer prone to slapping notebooks out of reporters’ hands. People say that Stewart has matured in the last several years and that he has better control of his temper. I think this “person” is a clone posing as Tony Stewart. It’s like in Freaky Friday when the two sisters switch places, but the parents know something is up because the girls act so differently. To further prove my point, I think the happy Tony Stewart clone is taller.

2. Tony Stewart recruited Ryan Newman to join his racing team

Ryan Newman is the only NASCAR driver with a degree in engineering. If anyone in NASCAR has the technical know-how to create some sort of cloning machine, it’s Ryan Newman. Ryan was specifically recruited to build a machine that would clone Tony (or a machine that would open a rift in the space/time continuum pulling a parallel universe Tony Stewart into our world.) This photo was taken by a fan. It clearly shows scientist Ryan Newman with a time-space rift visible in the sky above the Stewart-Haas Complex.

3. Tony has grown a goatee, a clear sign of an evil doppelganger

As noted in the original Star Trek, when Spock has a goatee, he is an Evil Parallel Universe Spock. I knew as soon as Smoke started sporting the goatee that he was, in fact, an evil clone. I would have guessed that evil clones would have learned by now to shave their goatees to better assimilate, but maybe clones are not as smart as the rest of us. Be very wary of any man with a goatee, he is likely an evil doppelganger sent here to attack.

4. Inside sources told me so

Based on information from a source close to Stewart-Haas Racing, I paid good money (not “dinner at Subway combo meal” money, we’re talking “Ole Spaghetti Factory with ice cream dessert” money) to gain unauthorized access to business documents that would prove my case. I discovered this discarded expense report. It details receipts of Tony’s pre-race staples: gas, a pre-race smoothie, a pine air freshener and this note.

5. I am afraid

If left unchecked, we could see an entire racing team of Tony Stewarts, Intergalactic Tony Stewarts or even the feared “half-man, half-shark, half-alligator Tony Stewart.” If bad Michael Keaton movies have taught us anything, it’s that we shouldn’t play God. Cloning yourself will only lead to heartache, disaster and another romantic comedy starring Andie MacDowell.

Tony Stewart passed Matt Kenseth on the second-last lap of the Sprint All-Star Race to get his first All-Star win, his first win of the season and his first win as an owner. Oh, and he also pocketed a cool million bucks.

Tony Stewart passed Matt Kenseth on the second-last lap of the Sprint All-Star Race to get his first All-Star win, his first win of the season and his first win as an owner. Oh, and he also pocketed a cool million bucks.

The race featured a three-wide wreck by Jeff Gordon during the action-packed final 10-lap segment of the race, wildly aggressive driving by Kyle Busch and early domination by pole sitter Jimmie Johnson, whose shot at winning came to a close when he was spun out by Denny Hamlin on the first lap of the final segment.

Stewart methodically worked his way to the front of the pack after starting 15th.

Stewart-Haas co-owner Gene Haas was at the track for the first time since serving a 16-month prison term for tax fraud.

Kenseth finished second. He was followed by Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards.

The National Enquirer reports that Jeff Gordon’s wife Ingrid Vandebosch is afraid that her husband will have a back spasm during a race that will lead to a grave injury.

"She feels he’s been lucky until now and wants him to get out from behind the wheel for good while he’s in one piece," said an "insider."

According to the story – and let us not forget this is The National Enquirer – Vandebosch hopes Gordon will retire at the end of the season. Wearing the black hat is NASCAR, which The Enquirer says is doing everything in its power to keep its popular driver happy.

Husband suspended from work? Sorry, lady. You're both out of luck. Unless he owns a Cup team. Then you get his job until he comes back. Somewhere in Washington Hillary Clinton is punching the hell out of a wall right now.

Husband suspended from work? Sorry, lady. You’re both out of luck. Unless he owns a Cup team. Then you get his job until he comes back. Somewhere in Washington Hillary Clinton is punching the hell out of a wall right now.

On Wednesday, ownership of the No. 41 team was transferred from Jeremy Mayfield to wife Shana Mayfield. Shana Mayfield said that her husband will be present at the shop, which "will be run the way he wants it to be run." Owner/driver Jeremy Mayfield was suspended on Saturday for violating NASCAR’s hazy substance abuse policy. He will be replaced in the 41 car by driver J.J. Yeley.

NASCAR’s All-Star race is this Saturday and it’s fair to say that many sports fans never have seen one. That’s too bad. Compared to baseball, football, basketball and hockey, NASCAR’s All-Star race manages to live up to the hype. In honor of the forthcoming NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, let us take a look at the annual Suck Fest that is all other professional All-Star events.

NASCAR’s All-Star race is this Saturday and it’s fair to say that many sports fans never have seen one. That’s too bad. Compared to baseball, football, basketball and hockey, NASCAR’s All-Star race manages to live up to the hype. In honor of the forthcoming NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, let us take a look at the annual Suck Fest that is all other professional All-Star events.

Major League Baseball All-Star Game

First of all, a player from every team is chosen, even if that team is the Baltimore Orioles. For the folks who run Major League Baseball, there is no greater thrill than hearing those magic words, “Ladies and gentlemen, warming up in the American League bullpen, Orioles reliever George Sherrill!” I look forward to the day when my son tugs on my shirtsleeve and says, “Gee, pop, do you think our closer who blows one out of every six save opportunities will get in the game?” And I will turn to him and say, “I have a son? Did your mother work at Burger King in 2003?”

Fact: Unless you are watching your own team, baseball is incredibly boring. Only annoyingly nostalgic Bob Costas types admit to watching baseball for the sake of the game. These are the same people who brag about eating the peanut shell, because nothing tastes better than salted bark. My point: The Midsummer Classic is exponentially boring. Not only are you not watching your team play, you are watching players from 29 other teams play, so your level of interest is divided by 29. Bottom line: You have to wait an hour for your guy to get a single at-bat, which, invariably, is a pop-up to George Sherrill.

High Point: In 1970, future national disgrace Pete Rose plows into Ray Fosse and effectively stymies the catcher’s promising career to score the winning run of a meaningless game.

Low Point: The 2002 game ends in a tie. I watched that game. If I had a sister, I would have kissed her just to feel something again.

I am combining these two because they share the same glaring defect – lack of defense.

At least in baseball, the fielders make an attempt to play D. You never see the Indians’ Grady Sizemore wait for a pop fly to hit the ground to avoid injuring his glove hand. Yet that is exactly the lack of effort one expects from the likes of the NBA and NFL. If you ever thought, “I wish I could watch the French Army obliterated by waves of German panzer divisions at the start of WWII in HD,” then forget The History Channel. Watch the NBA All-Star Game or NFL Pro Bowl.

NBA All-Star Game High Point: In 1992 Magic Johnson, after retiring following the announcement that he had HIV, wins the game’s MVP award. This, actually, was fun to watch – one of the great moments in the history of the game.

NBA All-Star Game Low Point: 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. During the game the East gives up an atrocious 153 points. Off the court, during a brawling weekend on the Strip, NFL player Pacman Jones is involved in a triple shooting at a strip – or "scrip" – club.

NFL Pro Bowl High Point: 2009. A wide receiver (Larry Fitzgerald) leaves his feet to make a reception.